Walking the Labyrinth - March 12-18
 As St. Mary’s Episcopal Church prepares for Easter by the prayerful discipline of the Lenten season, we are offering the experience of “Walking the Labyrinth” (March 12-18) to our congregation and to our Christian neighbors. The Labyrinth is an archetype, a divine imprint found in religious traditions in various forms all over the world. It is not a maze and there is only one path. Walking the Labyrinth has recently reemerged as a metaphor for the spiritual journey and a prayerful tool for transformation.
How to Walk the Labyrinth
Spiritual Guidelines
A labyrinth is a sacred path and space used for prayer, meditation, and contemplation. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has a single path to the center and back. It is walked in an attitude of prayer and meditation.
The labyrinth is an ancient spiritual tool dating as far back as 1800 BC. Medieval cathedrals often had labyrinths designed into the floors so that Christians could walk to the labyrinth rather than undertaking a hazardous pilgrimage to Jerusalem to walk in the “footsteps of Jesus.” It is a metaphor for a sacred journey to the center of our deepest selves and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who we are and our unity with the light that calls from within. God has used this spiritual tool for centuries to heal and transform lives. Walk and allow God to touch your life!
The walk can be divided into three stages:
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Entering – walking in toward the center – a time to put aside concerns and to prepare your heart and spirit for hearing God. |
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Illumination – the time in the center – a time of openness and waiting for God to speak. |
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Union – the journey outward – a time to consider what God has revealed to you and how to apply it to your life. |
Other approaches to the walk may include:
Intentional Walk: where you address specific intention, issue or concern as you walk."
Intercessory Walk: offer prayer for people or needs, try praying for a different person at each turn on the path.
Meditative Walk: meditate on a specific word or passage, or pray repetitively, such as the Jesus Prayer (Jesus, have mercy on me), or the universal prayer for world peace (Let peace prevail on Earth).
"Walking A Sacred Path" by Dr. Lauren Artess is a resource you may wish to consult for addtioinal information about the Labyrinth. You may also contact Jack Burdett at (803) 732-2820 for additional information |
